The present invention relates to an IC (integrated-circuit) card information processing system such as an IC card information displaying system for processing and/or displaying the information carried by an IC card as well as apparatuses and IC cards employed in the same.
At present, a so-called premium point service is gaining more and more popularity. In this service, a point card is widely used which is issued, for example, by an owner of a store or chain stores or the like for the customers and is designed to store data of score or point which is incremented on a purchase-by-purchase basis so that the customer can enjoy later a prize, bonus, coupon or discount equivalent to the accumulated monetary value indicated by the point data recorded in the card.
On the other hand, an electronic wallet system in which IC cards are used for commercial transactions of merchandises, commodities and the like, i.e., cashless transaction system, so to say, is being studied, as is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 92966/1991 (JP-A-3-92966). In this system, information or data representing a predetermined monetary amount is stored previously in a memory incorporated in the IC card, and upon settlement of a commercial transaction or trade, information of the monetary amount involved in the transaction is transferred to the dealer. Thus, the commercial transaction or trade can be completed without using cashes.
When the electronic wallet system mentioned above is actually realized for the commercial transactions, there can be stored in the IC card not only the electronic money information but also other various application data. By way of example, the premium point information mentioned previously can equally be stored in the IC card so that the point information can be processed to be displayed together with the electronic money information on a display device of the IC card information processing apparatus.
By the way, the premium point service is generally provided for the particular customers or users who purchase merchandises or goods at high frequency. In the present state of the art, the premium point service is carried out by using a magnetic card or the like issued on a store-by-store basis. In that case, there may arise such situation in which the user has to carry a plurality of point cards which differ from one to another store. Similarly, a plurality of dedicated card information processing apparatuses have to be provided for reading and processing the information contained in the different types of magnetic point cards. By contrast, when the IC card can be used, it is possible to store a plurality of different application data in a single IC card. Besides, these application data can be displayed by one and the same IC card information processing/displaying apparatus.
In such IC card information processing system, when a different type of application data is newly registered or stored in the IC card by the user, it becomes necessary to load additionally a corresponding application program for the display control in the IC card information processing/displaying apparatus. If otherwise, the data additionally stored in the IC card can not be displayed with the IC card information processing/displaying apparatus. In this conjunction, the application program which is installed in the IC card information processing/displaying apparatus will be referred to as the service application program only for convenience of the description. Since in the IC card information processing system mentioned above, information or data which undergoes processing, as typified by the monetary amount information, has to be protected with high security, it is desirable to incorporate an arithmetic processing unit in the IC card as well so that relevant processings inclusive of decision processing can be executed internally of the IC card. Besides, because the capacity of the memory incorporated in the IC card is naturally limited, it will become necessary to load a corresponding service application program additionally in a flush memory or the like incorporated in the IC card information processing/displaying apparatus through appropriate facilities so that the corresponding processing can be performed internally of the processing apparatus.
Furthermore, it is required for the user to perform some manipulation for selecting an application of his or her concern from a plurality of applications. In that case, the types of application program data stored or held in the IC card can not always coincide with those of the service application programs installed in the IC card information processing/displaying apparatus. Such being the circumstances, there will be required a standardized or uniformized method or procedure for displaying titles or names of applications on the IC card information processing/displaying apparatus for allowing the selection of the application by the user. Parenthetically, with the term xe2x80x9capplicationxe2x80x9d, it is contemplated to mean a type of job that lends itself to processing by an arithmetic processing unit or computer. Further, with the phrase xe2x80x9capplication programxe2x80x9d, it is intended to mean a program to be executed for processing the application.
In the light of the state of the art described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel IC card information processing system which can successfully and satisfactorily cope with the problems mentioned above.
Another object of the invention is to provide an IC card processing apparatus, an IC card, an information converting apparatus which can be employed in the system mentioned above.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an application program installing method or system for installing application program in the IC card information processing apparatus.
In view of the above and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds, there is provided according to an aspect of the present invention an IC card information processing apparatus for processing information stored in an IC card which includes an input/output unit for inputting/outputting information, a storage unit for storing information concerning a plurality of applications, and an arithmetic processing unit for processing the information concerning the applications. The IC card information processing apparatus is comprised of a service application program storage unit for storing a plurality of service application programs which correspond, respectively, to the applications registered in the IC card, an IC card read/write unit for reading/writing information through the medium of the input/output unit of the IC card, and an arithmetic processing unit for processing the information concerning the applications registered in the IC card by using the service application programs corresponding to the registered applications, respectively, while exchanging the information with the arithmetic processing unit of the IC card through the medium of the IC card read/write unit, wherein the IC card read/write unit is so designed as to enable the service application program to be inputted to the IC card information processing apparatus, and wherein the arithmetic processing unit of the IC card information processing apparatus is so designed as to control storage of the service application program inputted through the IC card read/write unit in the service application program storage unit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an IC card which includes a first storage unit for storing a plurality of card application programs for enabling a plurality of applications to be operative, respectively, and a plurality of application data processed by the card application programs, a second storage unit for storing a plurality of information concerning names of the plural applications, and an arithmetic processing unit for processing the information stored in the first and second storage units, respectively, wherein the information concerning the names of the plural applications stored in the second storage unit is stored in a common form.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information converting apparatus which is destined for use with the IC card information processing apparatus of the structure described above and which is capable of inputting/outputting information to/from the IC card information processing apparatus. The information converting apparatus is comprised of a first input/output interface circuit, an information converting circuit connected to the input/output interface circuit, and a second input/output interface circuit connected to the information converting- circuit, wherein the first input/output interface circuit is so designed as to be connected to the IC card read/write unit, and wherein information inputted/outputted through the second input/output interface circuit and information inputted/outputted through the first input/output interface circuit are converted in respect to the type of the information such that the information can be inputted/outputted to/from the IC card information processing apparatus through the medium of the IC card read/write unit.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a service application program installing system which includes the IC card information processing apparatus implemented in the structure described previously, the IC card of the aforementioned structure, the information converting apparatus mentioned previously, and an information processing terminal apparatus which is connected to the IC card information processing apparatus by way of the information converting apparatus, wherein the information outputted from the information processing terminal apparatus is inputted to the IC card information processing apparatus through the information converting apparatus and the IC card read/write unit as a service application program to be stored in the service application program storage unit.
In a preferred mode for carrying out the invention, the information processing terminal apparatus may be equipped with communication facility for receiving the information supplied externally.
In another preferred mode for carrying out the invention, the information processing terminal apparatus may be implemented in the form of a computer.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an IC card information processing apparatus for processing information stored in an IC card which includes an input/output unit for inputting/outputting information, a storage unit for storing information concerning a plurality of applications, and an arithmetic processing unit for processing the information concerning the applications. The IC card information processing apparatus is comprised of a service application program storage unit for storing a plurality of service application programs which correspond, respectively, to the applications registered in the IC card, an IC card read/write unit for reading information concerning the applications stored in the IC card through the medium of the input/output unit of the IC card, a display unit for displaying names of applications used in the IC card, and an arithmetic processing unit for performing such control that when a service application program corresponding to an application is not stored in the application program storage unit, the name of the application is displayed on the display unit on the basis of application identifying information contained in the information concerning the application as fetched through the IC card read/write unit.
In a preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, the information concerning the application stored in the storage unit of the IC card may include a card application program for enabling the application to be operative in the IC card and application data processed by the card application program.
In another preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, the IC card information processing apparatus may be so designed as to be capable of performing read/write operation on application data stored in the IC card when a service application program corresponding to a card application contained in the IC card and relevant to the application data is stored in the application program storage unit.
In still another preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, the service application program inputted through the IC card read/write unit may be the information which is stored in a storage medium equipped with an input/output unit which can be connected to the IC card read/write unit.
In yet another preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, the applications may be those for commercial transactions.
In a further preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, the IC card information processing apparatus may further include an application name storage unit for storing information concerning correspondences between the application identifying information and the names of the applications read through the IC card read/write unit. In that case, the arithmetic processing unit incorporated in the IC card information processing apparatus may be so designed as to perform such control that the names of the applications are displayed on the display unit on the basis of the information stored in the application name storage unit.
In still further preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, information concerning correspondences between the application identifying information and the names of the applications stored in the IC card may be inputted to the IC card information processing apparatus through the IC card read/write unit. In that case, the application name storage unit can store the information inputted through the IC card read/write unit.
In yet further preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, the application name storage unit may be so designed as to be capable of storing information concerning correspondences between the identifying information and the names of all the applications used in the IC card.
In yet another preferred mode for carrying out the present invention, the application identifying information read through the medium of the IC card read/write unit may contain a predetermined type of information. In that case, the arithmetic processing unit may be so designed as to perform such control that the predetermined type of information can be displayed on the display unit.
In still another preferred mode for carrying out the invention, the predetermined type of information may be character code information.
In a further preferred mode for carrying out the invention, the name of the application may be represented by one selected from a formal name, an abridged name and graphic information indicative of the application.
In a still further preferred mode for carrying out the invention, the first input/output interface circuit unit of the information converting apparatus mentioned hereinbefore may be provided with contacts for inputting/outputting the information. In that case, shape of a portion of the first input/output interface circuit unit which is connected to the IC card read/write unit as well as positions of the contacts are so selected as to be compatible with the IC card which conforms to the ISO-7816 Standards.
In a yet further preferred mode for carrying out the invention, the second input/output interface circuit of the information converting apparatus may be implemented in conformance with the RS-232C Standards.
The above and other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will more easily be understood by reading the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof taken, only by way of example, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.